Regulatory demands, rapidly changing markets for capital funding, climate change and the rise of distributed generation, smart grids and smart metering all mean that Network companies face significant challenges to manage their infrastructure effectively.

Energy Network businesses are having to be increasingly innovative and resourceful in their response.

For example, digital communication technologies are enhancing the control of assets and are changing how field workforces can be managed. Customer service efficiency can be driven by redesigning processes to meet customer needs and get the response right first time. Costs can be saved by outsourcing non-core functions but ensuring knowledge and control are retained in the business. All this must be balanced with the requirement to minimise the company’s carbon footprint.

Of course, the introduction of smart metering and smart networks is a very exciting opportunity for Energy Network companies. Baringa Partners is a key adviser to DECC (Department of Energy and Climate Change) and Ofgem as well as being involved with a number smart metering and ‘Low Carbon Network Fund’ projects.

Indeed, Baringa Partners is at the centre of the debate on ‘Smart’ and has its own dedicated practice that fully understands how the technology of the smart metering system will drive change across a broad range of business functions, such as operational capacity planning, demand forecasting, customer management, product development, and field operations.

Baringa Partners has considerable experience of the strategies, systems and processes used across electricity and gas transmission and distribution businesses. We have provided services to clients in the following areas:

• IT strategy, IT effectiveness and IT programme delivery
• Business process definition, design and methodology
• Management of interactions with regulators, including quality assurance of business plan submissions
• Operating model design, delivery and leadership
• Smart grid and smart metering discovery workshops, trials and technology roadmap development
• Metering strategy and options analysis
• Call centre and customer service efficiency
• Delivering operational efficiency and field productivity improvement